We pick up at the section discusing the "Angel of the Lord".
Because He is identified with God, to hear Him is to hear God and to sin against Him is to sin against God. And yet He is distinguished from God in Exodus 32:34. This is sound reason to believe that the Angel of the Lord is the pre-incarnate
manifestation of the Son of God, the Second Person in the Trinity. (502)
Furthermore, in the book of Judges, “the Angel of the Lord” does many wonderful things:
(1) He identifies Himself as Jehovah the Redeemer and Covenant Lord of Israel, who will use pagan nations to chasten them and to prepare them for the future He has in store for them (2:1).
(2) He curses a city because it did not carry out its obligations to the Lord to fight with His people against their enemies (5:23), in fulfillment of Genesis 12:1–.
(3) The presence of this Angel with an individual or a nation is the Presence of Jehovah Himself (6:11–4).
(4) He announces the birth of Samson, the deliverer of Israel from the Philistines (13:3, 5). In chapter thirteen we learn that this Angel must reveal His true identity to a person before He can be recognized (13:16, 21–2).
(5) He performed miracles (13:19), to attest to His identity and glory.
(6) He “ascended” into heaven with the flames of the altar (13:20). (503)
From there, Dr. Morecraft transitions us to the fall of angels:
In the providence of God, some angels in heaven, deliberately and “irrecoverably,”
fell from their high and holy estate “into sin and damnation.” (504)
These fallen angels are Satan and the demons. Having fallen from their original created condition in God’s presence: “their own domain, their proper abode” (Jude 6), they remain under the sovereign control of God, who limits and orders their fall and all their sinful actions for His own glory (Job 1:12; Matt. 8:31). (504)
God is indeed sovereign over all the angels.
God has chosen some angels for eternal happiness to the glory of His grace, and He has passed by and foreordained the rest to dishonor and condemnation for their sins to the glory of His justice. (506)
Those angels whom God chose in eternity, were foreordained not to fall into rebellion against God and to be confirmed in a state of perfect holiness, while the non-elect angels were foreordained to fall from perfection into evil and to be condemned for their rebellion against God. (507)
The next topic is the relation between the angels and Jesus. First, Christ's humiliation:
To say that Jesus, is for “a little while,” i.e., from His conception to His resurrection, “lower than the angels,” is to say that “the humiliation of the Son consisted in his identification of himself with inferior and fallen man— humiliation, however, which, as this present verse asserts, reached its climax and fulfillment in the suffering of the cross, [‘that by the grace of God He might taste death for every one’ (2:9)].” 43. Hughes, A Commentary on the Epistle of Hebrews, 89–90. (508)
Second, the relation of angels to Christ's redemptive mission:
The book of Hebrews makes it clear that Christ’s humiliation and death were for the benefit of human beings, not of angels. (508)
Christ did not come to die to redeem the fallen angels, nor did He assume an angelic nature in His incarnation; rather, “He had to be made like His brethren in all things,” i.e., “the seed of Abraham” (Heb. 2:16–17). (508)
Third, Christ's superiority and headship over all angels:
In this sequence of seven quotations from the Old Testament (1:5-14), the author confirms without doubt the superiority of Jesus Christ over all angels, thus attesting to His divine and messianic Sonship and His divine and mediatorial sovereignty. (510)
Fourth, Christ as the redeemer of angels [I raised an eyebrow over this until I read the section since I'd never heard this put this way]:
“For in what manner do you say that the Lord Jesus Christ was the Redeemer of the good angels? He, who raised up fallen man, gave to the standing angel the power of not falling, thus rescuing him from captivity, thus defending him from it, and in this way redemption was equal to both: paying for that man, preserving this angel.”… Indeed we confess that the grace of confirmation came to them through the Word (Logon), so that they might receive their confirmation from the same one from whom they had obtained their being. For the Father works only through the Son (who is the fountain of all life and grace) in the works of nature as well as in those of grace (Jn 5:17)." 47. Turretin, Institutes of Elenctic Theology, 1:338. (511)
Fifth, the "angelic" mission of Jesus:
...“the Angel of the Lord.” This name is given to Jesus, not because He is in being angelic rather than human, but because, like the angels, He is the divinely commissioned Messenger of God, the Servant of the Lord, to minister to God’s people by dying for them (Mark 10:45). (511-512)
Sixth, the angels role in the earthly life of Christ:
Throughout the earthly life of Jesus, angels tenderly and reverently cared for Him, and were always ready to do His bidding. ....They ministered to Him at His conception (Luke 1:26–38), at His birth (2:9–15), after His temptation in the wilderness: “Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him” (Matt. 4:11) and in His agony on the Mount of Olives: “Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him.["] ...There is no mention of angels attending Him on the cross, for He was abandoned and cursed by God, being covered with our sins for which He was being punished. But they attended
His resurrection from the dead. ....Angels also attended Jesus at His ascension.... And they will attend Him at His second coming, when “the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire” (2 Thess. 1:7). (512-513)
We next turn to a brief overview concerning the fallen angels, starting with the reality and work of Satan.
Satan is not merely the figurative personification of the idea of evil, he is a created, living and personal being; but he is not physical, with skin and bone, being “angelic,” and hence, spiritual, invisible and immaterial. He thinks, speaks, conspires, tempts. (513)
"Of course Satan is more than simply a person, according to Paul in 2 Corinthians 6:15. He is a worthless and lawless person, the personal representative of darkness and unrighteousness.… He represents nothing constructive, profitable or good… 2 Corinthians 6:15 portrays Satan as in utter opposition to the person of Christ and everything He represents; there is no point at which Satan...can harmonize with Christ. Satan is devoted to the work of hindering and destroying the kingdom of God (whether or not that is a realistic aim)."48. Greg Bahnsen, “The Person, Work and Present Status of Satan,” Symposium on Satanism in The Journal of Christian Reconstruction, ed. Gary North, 1:2 (Vallecito, CA: Chalcedon, 1974), 13–14 (513-514)
Or to put it in other words, the unobtainable goal of Satan and the other fallen angels is to separate the chosen people of God from the love of God in Christ... (514)
Satan seeks to reach his diabolic ends by working: on INDIVIDUALS (Eph. 2:2), both in BODY (Luke 13:16), and in MIND (Luke 22:3); through the NATURAL WORLD (Luke 8:23–24; Mark 9:25); in SOCIAL BEHAVIOR (Luke 8:27), and SOCIAL RELATIONS (2 Cor. 2:5–11); in INTELLECTUAL matters (1 Tim. 4:1); in
POLITICAL affairs (Rev. 12–13); in RELIGIOUS affairs, whether in FALSE sects (2 Cor. 11:14–15) or in the TRUE way—by distorting (Gal. 4:8–9) and competing with (Matt. 13:39), the preaching of the gospel. (514)
However, when we think of Satan, we must think of him as a finite, created being, not as a being equal to God in any sense. He is NOT omniscient, omnipotent nor omnipresent. He is under the control, restraint and direction of the Mighty Sovereign of the universe (Rev. 9:1, 5), Who also has him “bound” in “chains” since
the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 6). (514-515)
In the Bible, Satan is given several names: “Belial, the worthless one” (2 Cor. 6:15), “Apollyon or Abaddon, the destroyer” (Rev. 9), “Beelzebul, the dung-god or lord of the flies” (Luke 11:15), “the prince of this world or the god of this age,” i.e., the leader of a destroyed humanity, of a kingdom of unethical darkness and spiritual
death (John 12:31; 2 Cor. 4:4), the “serpent,” with a crushed head (Gen. 3:15; Rev. 12:11; 20:1–), the shackled “dragon” (20:1). “Satan” means “adversary” (1 Pet. 5:8). (515)
Luke describes Satan as “the Devil,” who is “the ruler of the demons” (Luke 11:15). There are many demons, daimonia, but only one Devil, diabolos, who is king of the demons (Rev. 9:11). ...Just as Christ is the Head of the church, so Satan is the evil leader of the demonic host, who has a large army of wicked, unclean and vicious demons under his command (Matt. 8:28, 10:1, Mark 5:2f, 9:20, Acts 19:15), (although the devil and all his demons are under the sovereign rule of God). (515)
The Biblical strategy against the destructive work of Satan is threefold:
(1) Resist the devil with the Word of God, as did Jesus in the wilderness (James 4:7), and the devil will flee from you.
(2) Use the shield of faith in Christ and in His Word (Eph. 6:11–12, 16), and you will quench all the fiery missiles that Satan hurls at you.
(3) Pray (Matt. 6:13), and God will deliver you from the evil one. (515-516)
The reality and work of demons:
As we have seen, demons, or fallen angels, are wicked, unclean and vicious (Matt. 8:28; 10:1; Mark 5:2–3; 9:20; Acts 19:15), and their leader is Satan (Matt. 9:34; Eph. 2:2; Rev. 9:11). (517)
When Satan is called “the prince of the power of the air” (Eph. 2:2), we can learn several things about demons:
(1) These demons of darkness over which Satan rules are INCORPOREAL powers of darkness (Eph. 6:12).
(2) They fill the air or occupy the atmosphere around the earth, who are spiritual forces WITHIN REACH of us and with whom we must fight (Eph. 3:10–1; 6:12).
(3) They create an ethical atmosphere, or PERVADING OUTLOOK IN A CULTURE (Eph. 2:2; 4:17). (517)
The Bible records at least 55 instances of demonic activity...Demon possession, therefore, according to the Bible is an actual occurrence, and not merely a
metaphorical or mythological description. It is not mental illness. ...“Demon possession could have a profound and dominating influence on one’s body (Mark
9:17–26), will (John 13:27), words (Mark 1:23), and mind (Mark 5:1–18). The demoniac could lose control over himself, and that against his will, (cf. Luke 9:39).”
54. Bahnsen, “The Person, Work and Present Status of Satan,” 16. (518)
[Characteristics of demon possession]:
(1) The person possessed gives evidence of being controlled by a force or personality apart from his own personality, that uses his body.
(2) The possessed person manifests bizarre, anti-social behavior (Matt. 8:28; Mark 5:2; Luke 8:27).
(3) He can manifest superhuman strength beyond his own normal ability (Matt. 8:28; Mark 5:3–4; Luke 8:29).
(4) He experiences intense convulsions, seizures and bodily self-harm in destructive and distorted ways (Matt. 17:15; Mark 1:26; 5:5; 9:18, 20, 22, 26; Luke 4:35; 9:39, 42).
(5) He often cries out with a loud shrieking voice (Mark1:26; 9:26; Luke 9:39).
(6) He speaks either coherently or incoherently, (possibly in an unknown language) through the use of the individual’s voice.
(7) Some demon possessed persons confess names other than that of the individual whom the demons are inhabiting...
(8) There is a recognition of and resistance to the person of Jesus Christ (Matt. 8:28; Mark 1:24; 5:6–; Luke 4:34, 41; 8:28).
(9) The demon must obey Christ (Matt. 8:16, 32; 17:18; Mark 1:27; 5:12–3; 9:25, 26; Luke 4:35; 8:32), or a command given in His name (Acts 16:18). (518-519)
And finally, the triumph of Christ over Satan and demons:
The Word of Christ, written and preached, is the instrument He uses as the exalted Christ, to control and overcome evil in the world....His Word still overcomes evil and the demonic in your life, as you believe it, obey it and bear witness to it. (519)
Christians have no need to be afraid of demons, for the following reasons:
First, Jesus gave power over the demons to His disciples (Matt. 10:1; Mark 6:7; 9:38; Luke 10:17; Acts 5:16; 8:7; 16:16f; 19:12). (520)
Second, the New Testament is full of indications that Christians have the ASSURANCE OF ETHICAL VICTORY in their encounters with Satan and demons. (520)
Third, even in the face of severe, physical persecution, the believer wins in his war with Satan (1 Peter 4:11; 5:11; Rev. 9:1–2; Luke 10:19; Rom. 8:35–36; Rev. 12:10–11). (520)
Fourth, not only is the Christian’s victory over Satan and the demonic evident with respect to demon possession, temptation to sin, and persecution; it is also clearly evident with respect to the success of evangelism (Matt. 12:28–29). (520-521)
"The fact is that while Satan is alive, he is not well! His power and kingdom have fallen, and presently he frantically thrashes out his short remaining time. Christ has deposed him, crushed him, and shackled him; Christ’s followers continue to spoil his house. The only lordship he retains is over the despicable elements of life symbolized by dung." 61. Bahnsen, “The Person, Work and Present Status of Satan,” 42. (521)
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